The present invention relates to structures which may be generally described as transportable machinery. This includes machinery or apparatus which has some specific function, combined with elements or structures designed for facilitating transport of the machinery. Such machinery may include, for example, pumps, compressors, machines for treating materials, cranes and other lifting devices, etc.
Such combinations are often referred to as “truck mounted machinery.” This is because it is common practice to utilize a standard truck-type motor vehicle, simply place on top of the vehicle chassis a separate and distinct machine, and attach the machine to the chassis (such as by bolts or welds) so that it remains in place, simply stacked on top of the motor vehicle chassis.
Such an arrangement is generally adequate for providing for transportation of the machine. It is limited, however, by the necessity of designing machines to be compatible with existing available motor vehicles. Also, such a combination results in a total weight for the combined parts of the apparatus which is simply the sum of the weights of the individual components. The resulting configuration of a machine stacked on top of a motor vehicle is also limited by the configuration of whatever motor vehicle may be chosen/available and the configuration of whatever machine is placed on the motor vehicle. Thus, the overall height of such a combination is, at a minimum, the total of the machine height and the height of the standard motor vehicle on which it is placed.
The present invention, however, represents an improvement over such a combination of a standard motor vehicle and a separate and distinct machine merely stacked one upon the other. The present invention provides a combination of elements which constitute a transportable machine which may be lighter in weight than a substantially similar machine of conventional construction stacked atop a standard motor vehicle. The lighter weight can result in greater economy of operation, a greater capacity for the transportable machine to also carry other payloads, and perhaps other advantages. A transportable machine in accordance with the present invention may also be constructed so as to have a lower profile than a similarly constructed but conventional machine stacked atop a standard motor vehicle. By a “lower profile” it is meant that the overall height of the transportable machine is lower than the cumulative height of a similarly constructed conventional machine stacked upon a standard motor vehicle chassis. The lower height is of great importance because transportable machines must be low enough to clear under road overpasses, overhead wires, and other obstacles encountered during transport.
A transportable machine in accordance with the invention also may have a lowered center of gravity as compared to the conventional arrangements of the prior art. This provides for highly desirable stability and safety in transport of the machine over roadways.
The present invention and its advantages are accomplished in a manner which is counter-intuitive, or completely contrary to conventional thinking relating to the design of transport carriages and vehicles at least because the present invention utilizes components which are generally considered unsatisfactory for such uses, as discussed in greater detail below.